Rating the AFC East -- LBs

Dannell Ellerbe, Philip Wheeler, and Koa Misi warm-up before the start of the game against the Patriots in December.

Dannell Ellerbe, Philip Wheeler, and Koa Misi warm-up before the start of the game against the Patriots in December. (Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel)

Chris Perkins

DAVIE – There are some good linebackers in the AFC East – New England’s Dont’a Hightower and Buffalo’s Brandon Spikes come immediately to mind – but the linebacker units leave something to be desired.

The big loss in the division, and specifically to Buffalo, is linebacker Kiko Alonso, who is out for the season with a knee injury after tearing his ACL earlier this month. Alonso (159 tackles, four interceptions) was on his way to becoming one of the league’s top young linebackers, and the Bills were going to pair him with Spikes to have a tough duo in their 4-3 scheme.

The Dolphins return their veteran trio of linebackers and they’ve made a switch – middle linebacker Koa Misi changed positions with strongside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. If it makes them more effective against the run, the move was a success.

As we count the days until the start of training camp on Friday, we’ll rank the Dolphins among their AFC East opponents in 10 categories: QB, OL, WR, TE, RB, DL, LB, DB, Special Teams and coaching.

Here’s today’s ranking:

LINEBACKERS

1) Patriots. Hightower (97 tackles) is the star of the group. He’s young, athletic and is a sure tackler. Middle linebacker Jerod Mayo (55 tackles last season) only played six games last season after tearing a pectoral muscle, but he’s solid as they come. Jamie Collins (43 tackles), the 2013 second-round pick from Southern Mississippi, quietly came on late last season. Depth is so-so. Losing Spikes to the Bills will be hurt.

2) Jets. Inside linebacker David Harris (team-best 127 tackles) had a good season, and fellow inside linebacker Demario Davis (107 tackles/second on team) was acceptable. On the outside Calvin Pace (10 sacks) had a good season rushing the passer but there are still questions about Quinton Coples (38 tackles) and his desire to play hard every snap. Outside linebacker Antwan Barnes, who only played five games in an injury-shortened season, provides good depth.

3) Bills. Losing Alonso, who has Pro Bowl potential, is the big blow here. Acquiring Spikes (86 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovered) as the middle linebacker helps absorb the blow, but that wasn’t the original plan. On the outside, Keith Rivers (45 tackles in eight starts for New York Giants last season) will likely start on one side and Nigel Bradham (51 tackles) and rookie Preston Brown (third round/Louisville) are candidates to start on the other. Overall it’s a solid crew. Losing Arthur Moats (48 tackles last season) to Pittsburgh could hurt depth.

4) Dolphins. They return all three starters – Philip Wheeler (team-best 118 tackles) on the weakside, Ellerbe (101 tackles) on the strongside and Misi (54 tackles) in the middle – but they weren’t good against the run last season. And they weren’t very disruptive. Still, they’re so-so. And these guys could gain ground on any crew in the AFC East this season. The margin separating these teams isn’t large. Outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins and middle linebacker Jason Trusnik provide good depth.